Whereas, each of the over 4,010 Americans who have perished
since the commencement of military operations in Iraq has made the ultimate
sacrifice in serving our nation, now therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of
Representatives:

That the General Assembly honors the memory of each service member
listed in this resolution who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and be it
further

Resolved: That the secretary of state be directed to send a
copy of this resolution to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at the
Pentagon, and be it further

Resolved: That the Secretary of Defense is requested to send a
copy of this resolution to the family of each member of the United States Armed
Forces listed in this resolution.

H.C.R.
260

House concurrent resolution in memory of
Violet Coffin of Stratford

Offered by: Representatives Cheney of Norwich and Masland of Thetford

Offered by: Senators Campbell,
MacDonald, McCormack and Nitka

Whereas, Violet Bodman Coffin was a towering presence on
Vermont’s political and cultural scene for three decades and a much respected
community leader in her adopted hometown of Strafford, and

Whereas, after graduating from Smith College, Vi Bodman
directed her immediate attention to defeating fascism by joining the Office of
Strategic Services and working in Washington, D.C., and London on selecting
allied bombing targets in Nazi Germany, and

Whereas, following World War II, she continued her interest
in world affairs as a journalist for Time-Life in the Middle East and then in New York City, and

Whereas, after Vi Bodman married Ned Coffin in 1950, the
couple moved to Toledo, Ohio, where she successfully directed the first
campaign of former U.S. Representative Thomas Ashley and simultaneously
launched her own career as a Democratic Party activist, advisor, and
strategist, and

Whereas, in 1964, she served as the Long Island chair of
Robert Kennedy’s U.S. Senate campaign, and

Whereas, as an avid horsewoman, Vi Coffin attended events at
the Green Mountain Horse Association in South Woodstock and, on discovering the
town of Strafford, decided Vermont should be her new home, and

Whereas, after settling permanently in Strafford, Vi Coffin
embarked on a path of active participation in the Vermont Democratic Party,
serving first as town committee chair, then as Orange County chair, and
ultimately as Vermont state chair from 1985 until 1993, and

Whereas, she led the Vermont delegations to the 1988 and 1992
Democratic national conventions, and, as recently as this past December, she
and her husband traveled to Manchester, NH, to attend a Barack Obama speech,
and

Whereas, in recognition of her many contributions to the
Vermont Democratic Party over recent decades, in 2005 she was given the party’s
foremost accolade, the David W. Curtis Leadership Award, and

Whereas, Vi Coffin’s passionate belief in promoting public
financial support for the arts equally matched her vibrant advocacy on behalf
of the Democratic Party, and

Whereas, she served as chair of the Vermont Arts Council
board of trustees, and, in that role, Vi Coffin fought vigorously against the
Reagan administration’s proposed cuts in federal arts financing, and

Whereas, her peaceful death at home in Strafford this week
ended the life of a woman whose accomplishments former Governor Dean, U.S.
Senator Leahy, and U.S. Representative Welch have each praised and recalled
with great fondness, and

Whereas, her husband Ned, children Judy, Doug, Tad, Cris, and
Andy, 13 grandchildren, and many friends will cherish their memories of this
amazing woman who fought for what she held dear, now therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of
Representatives:

That the General Assembly
extends its sincere condolences to the family of Violet Coffin of Strafford,
and be it further

Resolved:
That the secretary of state be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
the family of Violet Coffin.

H.C.R.
261

House concurrent resolution in memory of the American military
personnel who have died in the service of their nation in Iraq from December 20, 2007 through March 27, 2008

Offered by: Representatives Obuchowski of Rockingham, Jewett of Ripton
and Fisher of Lincoln

Whereas, Operation Iraqi Freedom began on March 20, 2003, and

Whereas, the fifth anniversary of American military involvement
in Iraq was observed on March 20, 2008, and

Whereas, since March 20, 2003, our nation’s soldiers have
frequently encountered life-threatening situations in the course of performing
their assignments in Iraq, and

Whereas, on March 24, 2008, the 4,000th American military
fatality in Iraq was recorded, and

Whereas, as is true in any combat situation, many brave
Americans have lost their lives, and

Whereas, each of the over 4,010 Americans who have perished
since the commencement of military operations in Iraq has made the ultimate
sacrifice in serving our nation, now therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:

That the General Assembly honors the memory of each service member
listed in this resolution who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and be it
further

Resolved: That the secretary of state be directed to send a
copy of this resolution to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at the
Pentagon, and be it further

Resolved: That the Secretary of Defense is requested to send a
copy of this resolution to the family of each member of the United States Armed
Forces listed in this resolution.

H.C.R.
262

House concurrent resolution congratulating
the Middlebury Inn on its receipt of a 2008 Vermont Centennial Business Award

Offered by: Representatives Nuovo of
Middlebury and Maier of Middlebury

Offered by: Senators Ayer and Giard

Whereas, in the heart of Middlebury, at 14 Court Square, is
the site at which Samuel Mattocks Jr.’s tavern was constructed in 1794, and
where today stands an impressive brick hotel, and

Whereas, a raging fire demolished the tavern in 1816, and
over a decade later, in 1827, Nathan Wood built an imposing new brick “public
house” named the Vermont Hotel that served as a fitting place of accommodation
for visitors to this thriving academic town, and

Whereas, a change of ownership in 1852 also brought a new
name to the hotel, the Addison House, that would remain associated with this
public accommodation for the next century, and

Whereas, a subsequent owner, Darwin Ridder, implemented
improvements to the hotel in 1865 and offered carriage service for his patrons
to the railroad station and livery depot, and

Whereas, at the close of the 19th century, in 1897, new
owners, Robert Cartmell and Allen Calhoun, retrofitted this now‑aging
dowager of a hotel for the new century, constructing a three‑floor
addition, a new kitchen, and a dining room, and bringing modern conveniences to
the building, installing bathtubs, electric lights, and steam heat, and

Whereas, during the roaring 20s, the Middlebury Hotel
Corporation, a stock company whose owners were local business men, purchased
the building and in 1927, the new owners reopened the newly refurbished hotel
under its current name, the Middlebury Inn, and

Whereas, in 1968, the Treadway Company expanded the
Middlebury Inn again, this time with 20 modern annex rooms, and as an
architectural contrast, the inn now includes the adjacent historic Porter
Mansion’s nine Victorian‑era guestrooms, and

Whereas, the management of the Middlebury Inn has continued
to attend to the hotel’s upkeep and most recently has added a Waterfalls Day
Spa, making the Inn a destination in its own right, and

Whereas, in recognition of its longevity and continuing
vitality, the Middlebury Inn was presented a 2008 Vermont Centennial Business
Award at a state house ceremony on March 27, and

Whereas, the secretary of state, Vermont Business Magazine,
and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce cosponsor this accolade to honor those
businesses in the state that have proven their durability and have remained
successful despite the passage of at least a century, and often far longer, now
therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of
Representatives:

That the General Assembly congratulates
the Middlebury Inn on its receipt of a 2008 Vermont Centennial Business Award,
and be it further

Resolved:
That the secretary of state be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
Jeff Costello at the Middlebury Inn.

H.C.R.
263

House concurrent resolution congratulating
Chipman Point on its receipt of a 2008 Vermont Centennial Business Award

Offered by: Representatives Stevens of
Shoreham and Bray of New Haven

Offered by: Senators Ayer and Giard

Whereas, Walter Chipman was an entrepreneur with foresight
who saw that the deep water of Lake Champlain adjacent to a tract of land that
Joseph Sholes had purchased would enable commercial vessels to use the site as
a delivery point for goods, and

Whereas, by 1810, Walter Chipman had constructed a
magnificent, but simply constructed, four‑story structure to serve as a
warehouse and retail center for the goods delivered to the site, and

Whereas, the building became a center for maritime commerce,
and in 1824, in response to the increased lake shipping traffic resulting from
the prior year’s inauguration of the Lake Champlain Canal, Joseph Sholes opened
a second similar structure, and

Whereas, the second building was constructed of stone
quarried on the site because it repelled rodent infestation and withstood other
environmental hazards, and

Whereas, by the 1840s, the lake was a bustling thoroughfare
filled with sloops, schooners, and canal boats, and the Chipman Point buildings
were at their busiest with the receipt, storage, and sale of flour, glass,
nails, molasses, iron, paper, rum, and other goods, and

Whereas, the Sholes family built an inn next to the
warehouses, and an active little community developed, and

Whereas, once the railroads spread into Vermont, the
commercial traffic on Lake Champlain declined, and the Chipman Point buildings’
importance also receded into hibernation, and

Whereas, the original 1810 structure, which still stands tall
and proud as one of the town of Orwell’s oldest surviving buildings, took on a
new life in 1946 when a marina was established within its walls, and today it
welcomes boaters who dock at Chipman Point and automotive tourists, and

Whereas, in
celebration of Chipman Point’s nearly 200 year-long history as a maritime
center for commerce and tourism, the secretary of state, Vermont Business
Magazine, and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce presented this historic
marina a 2008 Vermont Centennial Business Award, now therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of
Representatives:

That the General Assembly congratulates
Chipman Point on its receipt of a 2008 Vermont Centennial Business Award, and
be it further

Resolved: That the secretary of state be directed to send a
copy of this resolution to Richard and Pat Ullom at Chipman Point.

H.C.R.
264

House concurrent resolution
congratulating The Palms Restaurant on its diamond anniversary

Offered by: Representatives Howard of Rutland City, Andrews of Rutland City, Courcelle of Rutland City, Flory of Pittsford, McCormack
of Rutland City, Chen of Mendon and McNeil of Rutland Town

Whereas, Giuseppi Sabataso was a cobbler in Rutland whose
wife, Giovanina, cooked delicious meals with an alluring aroma that caused his
customers to comment with envy on the feasts that awaited him, and

Whereas, recognizing the potential for an Italian restaurant,
they opened The Palms Restaurant, not coincidentally, on Palm Sunday 1933, and

Whereas, the Sabataso family persevered through the economically
difficult Depression years, and

Whereas, in 1948, Giuseppe’s son, Primo, traveled to New York
City to learn the art of making pizza, and in 1949, The Palms Restaurant sold
the first Vermont‑made pizza, and

Whereas, in 1951, The Palms became one of the first
restaurants in Vermont to offer television to its customers, and that same
year, a generational transfer occurred when Giovanina and Giuseppi passed
management responsibilities to their children, Luigi, Primo, and Alfred, and

Whereas, in 1952, The Palms Restaurant began sponsoring
softball, basketball, and bowling teams, and the many trophies the teams have
earned through the years now adorn the walls of the restaurant’s Sportsmen’s
Lounge, and

Whereas, in 1954, Alfred left the management team, and then
in 1959, Luigi became the proprietor along with his wife, Dot, and their sons,
Joe and John, and the third generation was represented by Joseph L. and John
A., and

Whereas, The Palms became a “stag bar” from 1958 to 1969, and
a Stein Club was organized with 24 members in 1959 which eventually grew to 72
enthusiastic participants, and

Whereas, in the mid-1960s, 401 customers signed the lounge
ceiling, a memento that was obliterated in the November 18, 1972 fire that
destroyed the restaurant, and

Whereas, in less than a year, on October 1, 1973, the rebuilt
Palms opened at the same Strongs Avenue location, and

Whereas, in 1987, Joseph L. left, opening up a management
opportunity for a fourth generation family member, John J., who attended The
Culinary Institute of America and has introduced a catering component, and

Whereas, in 1988, he became executive chef, and

Whereas, his father, John A., and his mother, Jerri, continue
to cook great dishes, and John J.’s younger brother, James Robert Luigi, and
sisters, Janice and Jill, may well follow in the family tradition, and

Whereas, both bon appétit and World Famous
Restaurants International magazines have featured The Palms restaurants on
their pages, now therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of
Representatives:

That the General Assembly congratulates
The Palms Restaurant on its diamond anniversary, and be it further

Resolved: That the secretary of state be directed to send a
copy of this resolution to the Sabataso family at The Palms Restaurant in Rutland.